Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-02-11
BICYCLIST STEVENS IN MEXICO.
Hard Roads to Trsvel-In the Midst of q
Dangerous Mob.


Dangerous Mob.
Starting from Canton on Oct. 10,
had expected to reach Kingkiang inside
of twenty days; but calculations based
on my experience in other countries
failed me entirely in China. found it a
totally different country from any of the
others I have Travelled, both as regards
roads, people, accommodation, and ex-
perience generally. 1t would be little
exaggeration to say that the only roads
in south China (the north may be little
differently are the rivers, and no exagger-
alton whatever to say that the only proper
way to travel is with boat, in which
one can travel as in house. Strictly
speaking, there are no roads at all, as we
understand the term; only narrow foot
paths, leading here, there and every
where. and yet nowhere in particular; an
intricate mass of tracks about the rice
fields, in which a stranger finds himself
hopelessly bewildered to commence with,
and invariably lost at last.
The first day out from Canton, after
travelling, l should think, thirty miles, l
found myself in a village about thirteen
miles out. Neither are these pathways
of that asphalt like smoothness for which
an experienced cycler naturally yearns,
who sees the pleasant autumn weather
gradually gliding past, and the distance
ahead still great. On the contrary,
powders and rough slabs of stone. once
laid level, but now more often sloping at
angles that render them precarious foot
ing for anything but goat or bare
footed Chinaman. are the chief charac-
| IT,, 30 =,
often not more than two feet wide, and
often rise several feet above the waving
paddy, so that traversing them is feat
really equal to the performance of walk
ing on wall. Under these circum-
stances a person frequently thinks of
swapping his bicycle for a ''pariah yaller, y
and Kidding the purp with bullets.
Ta-ho was the first city where the au-
thorites saw fit to favor me with an es-
cort. They sent couple of soldiers with
me to King-gang-foo. They evidently
knew what they were about, for should
have Jared badly had l reached King
gang-foo alone, not knowing the direct
route to the Yamen. The soldiers be-
trayed anxiety as we approached the
city; the mob collected, and, while vet
several hundred yards from the Yamen.
the stones began to come, and wild yells
for the Fan kwaes rent the air. Missiles
that would have knocked me senseless
had been wearing an ordinary hat only
made dents in the big pith solar topee
had worn through India, and which
effectually protected my head and shoul
ders. escaped into the Yamen with
but few trihing bruises and one spoke
| h,.c1- ~ of %ba hut 81 H..
soldiers got badly hurt on the arm
probably fractured bone. The soldiers
; warned them that l was armed. and UNI
til we reached the outer Yamen gate
they confined themselves to yelling an(
throwing stones; several then rushed for
ward and seized the bicycle. but the Off
Gals came to the rescue and hurried m,
: into the che-hsien' Office. 1t was pan
, demonium broke loose around the YameI
gates all the evening, the mob howlin,
for the ''foreign devil, the shouts of thu
soldiers keeping them at bay, and the Off
Gals loudly expostulating and harangu
ing them from time to time. as the dil
l seemed to be increasing Proclamation
) were sent out by the che-hsien, and
: toward midnight the mob had finall,
dispersed. l was then placed aboard
, sampan, and, with guard of six soldiers
spirited off down stream. After this tn
: authorities never allowed me to travel b,
bicycle, but passed me on down stream
by boat from town to town, under guard
until we reached WI ching on the Poyanl
. Hoo, when. by much persuasion, / oh
tanned permission to take a short Gu
: across country to Kiukiang, but still witt
t an escort.-Thomas Stevens Letter.